


Jolly and Bright

by simplyambyy



Series: A Celebration of Buddie [9]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Christmas Time, Holiday, M/M, pictures with santa, yes there's an elf
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:07:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21886429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simplyambyy/pseuds/simplyambyy
Summary: It's time for Christopher's annual picture with Santa at the Mall and of course Buck tags along.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley & Eddie Diaz, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Series: A Celebration of Buddie [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1562698
Comments: 5
Kudos: 223





	Jolly and Bright

"Come on. Come on."

Christopher had been rushing in front of them as they strolled through the mall. It was a Thursday evening after both men had gotten off of their 12-hour shift. Both men were exhausted, but they had promised Christopher that he could get a picture with Santa and they were going to keep that promise. Even if they had to walk to the mall, that kid was going to get that picture.

"Slow down, Buddy," Eddie called out as he and Buck trailed behind him.

Of course they could've moved faster than the languid stroll they were taking, but Eddie always did anything he could to provide his son with as much agency as he could. 

Laughing, Christopher paused to turn, leaning a little heavier on his crutches since his pace made him tired. 

"Come on, dad!"

And then he was off again. The two men laughed and quickened their pace only slightly. An impatient Christopher was something they didn't want to deal with, especially not with how tired they were. Plus, the mall was a bit more crowded than they hoped, but it made sense seeing as Christmas was roughly two weeks away. They didn't want to let Christopher get too far ahead, too lost in the crowd. Sure, they were all heading in the same place, but not being able to know where Christopher was at all times would create an ugly knot of anxiety in his chest. 

The line for pictures with Santa was long , which meant that Buck and Eddie were going to have to wait quite a while and all Buck wanted to do was sleep. The two sat on a bench by the water fountain, the same spot they were last year when Christopher was getting his picture taken, only this time, Eddie had bought popcorn from a food stall. 

The two watched Christopher as he stood in line, chatting with one of the attendants dressed as an elf. Christopher then pointed at the two of them and the woman followed his finger. Both Buck and Eddie waved and received returning ones before Christopher and the elf turned back around, continuing their conversation. 

"Still want me to take him to the breakfast thing at his school, right?" Buck asked, taking a handful of popcorn and stuffing it into his mouth. 

Eddie nodded. "Yeah, if you can. If not, I'm sure Carla wouldn't mind. Or my tía. She loves Christmas so she definitely would take Christopher."

Buck nodded, a yawn stopping him from replying right away. 

"Nah, I can definitely do it. I'm actually pretty excited to see what type of breakfast that preppy school is going to offer."

The two shared a laugh. Arcadia Prep was having their annual breakfast with Santa, which Christopher was extremely excited for. The public schools his son had attended in the past did nothing like that, though they did seem to care for the students. Christopher did like some of his classmates and teachers, but Eddie could tell that his son was much happier at the private school that would cost him an arm and both legs every year. He received money from Shannon's death, but...Eddie always felt weird when he even thought about touching that money.

The feeling of Buck's head resting on his shoulder shook him from the unwanted thoughts. It actually made him stiffen up for a second before relaxing. This was Buck. He always felt comfortable, relaxed around the other man so there was no reason to tense. Shifting, Eddie moved the carton of popcorn to sit on the bench on the other side of him as he wrapped an arm around Buck's back.

"I'm just going to take a nap," the blond murmured into Eddie shoulder, snuggling to get comfortable,

"Yeah, sure."

Eddie swallowed as Buck started to drift off into light slumber. He had snuggled in closer, their thighs touching through their jeans, but that was pretty normal for them two. His eyes drifted to the exhausted face of his friend's. Buck's eyes were closed and his lips slightly parted as he napped. He wasn't sure how long he was looking at him, but Eddie was sure he had mapped out every millimeter of his face. He could probably re-draw it from memory...if he had those type of artistic abilities. 

Eddie glanced up just in time to see one of the attendants helping his son up the few steps that led to Santa sitting on his gold-embellished chair. Careful not to dislodge Buck from his side, Eddie fished his phone from his pocket and thumbed open the camera app. He was able to start recording as his son was placed onto the Santa actor's lap. 

He smiled widely as he watched through his phone as Christopher whispered his wishes into the man's ear. Thirty seconds later, the picture had been taken and Christopher was on his way towards them, the same elf attendant he was talking to earlier by his side. 

Eddie turned to look down at Buck, tightening the arm he had wrapped around the blond's back, trying to wake him.

"Buck," he said lowly.

The blond's eyes fluttered open and Eddie's breath was caught in his throat. Their faces were so close to each other and Eddie could see the flecks of brown and gold hidden deep in the blues of Buck's eyes. 

"Sorry to wake you," Eddie murmured, voice rough. "But Christopher's finished."

Nodding, Buck sat back up, Eddie's arm slipping from his upper back to his lower back. He wiped his face before stretching, turning just as Christopher and the elf stopped in front of him.

"Hey, buddy. Did you tell Santa what you wanted for Christmas?"

Christopher nodded at Buck's question, eyes still wide with excitement. The two men stood up, Eddie grabbing the half-empty carton of popcorn as he did so. A look of recognition flashed across the attendant's face.

"I thought that was you," she said, looking at Buck with a smile on her face.

She patted the hand that was resting on Christopher shoulder. 

"I have to get back, but I wanted to make sure he got to you safely. Your son was just as adorable as he was last year."

The words were mostly directed towards Buck and why was the man blushing like he was caught? The elf waved and walked back towards the Santa Land set up. Eddie passed the popcorn to Buck before reaching down and picking up Christopher.

"Do you know her?" Eddie asked as he pulled out of the mall parking lot five minutes later.

Christopher was strapped in and already dosing off, the excitement of the day finally taking its toll on him. The blush on Buck's cheeks that never went away had deepened. 

"Uh, yeah, she was working the Santa Land photos last year and must've remembered me." He paused as if he was trying to decide if he was going to say something. Eddie was patient. "She, uh, she said that we--me and you--had an adorable son."

The words sat heavy in the air of the car. Eddie honestly didn't know what to say, or at least what to say that wouldn't scare the other man off. He didn't mind people thinking that Buck was Christopher's father. He probably shouldn't feel like that, but it was true. Didn't he just think about how Buck would make a great father, about how _he_ wanted to share fatherhood responsibilities with him? 

His silence must've lasted too long because Buck began to fidget in the passenger's seat. 

"Look, Eddie, if I crossed any boundaries, please let me know. I apolog-"

Eddie shook his head, cutting the other man off.

"No, Buck. It's okay. It's really okay."

Buck looked at him with skepticism written all over his face. Eddie chuckled.

"Buck, we may not have the paperwork for it already do, but you're pretty much Christopher's second dad. I know that and," Eddie looked at his son through the rear-view mirror. "And he knows that too."

Buck swallowed visibly and didn't say anything back. Eddie didn't blame him either. What did you say to something like that? If the shoe were on the other foot, well, Eddie probably would've been stunned to silence as well. The feeling on Buck's warm and calloused hand resting on his own caused the brunet to chance a look away from the road and towards the blond. A small smile played on his lips. 

"I don't really know what to say, but thank you."


End file.
